Dead Zone 5.11: "The Hunting Party"

Written by Adam Targum
Directed by Kevin Speckmaier


Now that the fifth season has come to a close, there are number of questions surrounding “The Dead Zone”. It’s not just a matter of renewal anymore. It’s a matter of progress in terms of storytelling. This season finale was an example of how the series could still deliver a competent episode, but it was also an example of treading water in all the wrong ways.

First, the good points. I like the fact that the story started off small. It was fairly obvious to the audience that the situation was much bigger than Johnny could guess, but from his point of view, it was all about peeling back the layers of the onion and discovering how well he had been used. Skipping over the major plot contrivance of Johnny accepting a free computer from a contest he didn’t remember entering (something he ought to know better than to ignore by now), the plot unraveled in a measured fashion that allowed the audience to stay one step ahead, dreading what must inevitably come next.

Seen as a whole, from the end of the third season to the end of the fifth, given that they were one big production order, the revelations about Janus, Stilson, and the conspiracy all made sense and build neatly on the sporadic mythology episodes to date. The purpose of the “Armageddon” is revealed, and it follows a certain brand of logic. Janus is not unlike the Shadows on “Babylon 5”: knocking over the anthills, ensuring that the nation(s) of choice emerge from the rubble stronger and better than everyone else on the planet. Stilson is effectively a figurehead, and that allows Stilson to demonstrate some degree of humanity while remaining a figure of darkness.

This episode also firmly establishes Janus as a figure with enough intelligence and influence to overcome Johnny’s gift. Sooner or later, the writers need to explain why Johnny is completely unable to gain a victory against Janus, but for now, this episode avoids that problem by centering on a plot by Janus to inform Johnny of a certain reality in a certain way. Johnny is meant to be a spectator, not to change events. It’s a subtle point, but one missing from earlier episodes on a similar theme.

The problem, however, is that breaking the production order into two seasons gives the impression of nominal progress. The two seasons end at essentially the same point: Janus giving Johnny an ultimatum. If the season had aired 22 episodes, then there might have been a sense of the subtle shift: Janus giving Johnny a basic offer in “Saved”, and now making it more of a demand. But the difference isn’t enough to make it feel like the fifth season advanced the story very much.

I’m also disappointed that Purdy had nothing to do with the season finale, after a lot of apparent build-up towards a decision to help Johnny. It’s hard to imagine how he would have been part of the episode, but the structure of the season and the character’s arc really demanded it. Without that element, the finale felt incomplete.

It’s also hard not to notice that this episode was produced much earlier in the production order, because a lot of the cast chemistry problems hadn’t kicked in at this point. Walt seems a lot stronger in this episode than the previous installment, for instance. In a way, the effect is that the episode doesn’t feel much like a season finale at all.

This is the part where the season finale review would usually launch into a discussion about the season as a whole, but things will be done differently moving forward. The “Dead Zone” post-mortem (so to speak) will be the main focus of this week’s episode of “Dispatches from Tuzenor”, the podcast associated with my various reviews. That episode should be up after the weekend, so anyone interested is invited to drop by the archive site (www.entil2001.com) and click on the link. (It’s also available on iTunes.)

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

(Season 5 Final Average: 6.5)